Navigating the Digital Classroom: A Comprehensive Guide to Cleveland State University's Blackboard Environment

Cleveland State University (CSU) leverages Blackboard, a robust Learning Management System (LMS), to facilitate the development and delivery of online course materials, fully online courses, and to enhance traditional face-to-face instruction. This comprehensive guide aims to demystify the CSU Blackboard environment, from understanding the foundational elements of course shells to navigating the transition to the modern Blackboard Ultra platform. Whether you are a student or an instructor, this resource will provide insights into accessing, utilizing, and mastering the tools available within CSU's digital learning landscape.

Understanding Blackboard Course Shells: The Foundation of Online Learning

Blackboard course sites at CSU begin as empty "shells," providing a blank canvas upon which instructors can build their digital classrooms. These shells are fundamental to organizing course content, facilitating communication, and managing student engagement. There are several distinct kinds of Blackboard shells, each serving specific purposes and catering to different needs within the university's academic structure.

Production Shells are the most common type, automatically generated for all courses offered each semester. These shells are directly tied to student enrollment data, ensuring that students are automatically enrolled into the Blackboard sites corresponding to their registered courses. This automated process streamlines access for students, allowing them to view their course content and materials shortly after registering in CampusNet, typically by the following business day.

Beyond the automatically generated Production Shells, CSU faculty can request various other types of shells to support diverse pedagogical approaches and course management strategies. These include:

CSU Course Template Shells: These shells are pre-designed with a consistent structure and layout, intended to help instructors build courses that meet Quality Matters (QM) Standards. The QM Program is a nationally recognized, faculty-centered, peer review process designed to certify the quality of online courses and online components. Utilizing a CSU Course Template ensures that a course includes all necessary information for students and provides a consistent, user-friendly experience across different courses.
Master Shells: These are often used as a central repository for content that will be shared across multiple course sections. Instructors can develop content in a Master Shell and then copy it into individual Production Shells, ensuring consistency and saving time.
Community Shells: These shells are designed for non-course-specific purposes, such as departmental resources, student organizations, or faculty collaboration spaces. They provide a platform for information sharing and community building outside of individual course contexts.
Development Shells: Faculty can request Development Shells to experiment with new course designs, test out new features, or build content for future courses without affecting live course sites. This provides a sandbox environment for innovation and preparation.
Continuing Education Shells: These shells are specifically tailored for courses offered through CSU's Continuing Education program, which may have different enrollment and management requirements compared to traditional academic courses.

Essential Blackboard Request Forms and Their Functions

To effectively manage and customize their Blackboard presence, CSU faculty have access to a suite of request forms that streamline various administrative and pedagogical tasks. These forms are crucial for tailoring the Blackboard experience to meet specific course and instructor needs.

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Among the frequently utilized request forms are those for:

Cross-listing courses in Blackboard: This allows a single Blackboard course shell to be associated with multiple course numbers or sections, simplifying management for instructors teaching identical or very similar content to different groups of students.
Transferring/copying content from one course to another: This is a fundamental tool for instructors, enabling them to easily import materials, assignments, tests, and other content from previous semesters or from a Master Shell into a new or existing course shell. This significantly reduces the effort required to set up recurring courses.
Granting another user access to a course: This form is used to provide access to individuals who may not be formally enrolled students but require access to a specific course site, such as teaching assistants, guest lecturers, or departmental observers.
Requesting guest access: For individuals outside the CSU community who need temporary access to specific course content, a guest access request can be submitted.
Community shell enrollment requests: This form facilitates the process of adding users to Community Shells, ensuring appropriate access to shared resources and discussion forums.

Furthermore, CSU provides specific forms for managing different types of shells and their associated functionalities:

CSU Blackboard ULTRA Course Template Shell Request: For instructors who wish to utilize the new Ultra experience and its template structure.
CSU Course Template Refresh: To update or modify existing CSU Course Template Shells.
Test Creation: While not a request form in the traditional sense, this refers to the tools within Blackboard for building and deploying assessments.
Master Shell Request: To create or manage Master Shells for content reuse.
Community Shell Request: For the creation of new Community Shells.
Community Shell Enrollment/Removal Request: To manage user access to Community Shells.
Development Shell Request: To obtain a shell for course development purposes.
Continuing Education Shell Request: For setting up shells for continuing education courses.
Continuing Education Enrollment Request: To manage student enrollment in Continuing Education shells.
Cross-List Request Form: As mentioned earlier, for linking multiple course sections to a single Blackboard site.
Transferring/Copying From One Blackboard Learn Course to Another: The essential form for content migration.
Granting Another User Access to Your Course: To provide access to TAs, co-instructors, or other authorized personnel.
Requesting Guest (Non-CSU ID) Access: For external users needing limited access.
Course Restore Request: To recover a previous course shell or its content if it has been accidentally deleted or is no longer accessible.
Blackboard Course Limit Increase Request: In rare cases where a course shell might exceed standard limits, this form addresses such needs.
Blackboard Learn Original to Learn Ultra Conversion Request: A crucial form for faculty transitioning their existing Original courses to the newer Ultra interface.

Embracing Blackboard Ultra: The Future of CSU's Digital Learning

Cleveland State University is actively transitioning to Blackboard Ultra, a modern, streamlined version of the platform. This significant upgrade is driven by the desire to enhance the online learning experience for both students and instructors. Blackboard Ultra boasts an improved, more intuitive, and user-friendly interface, designed to make navigating course content, engaging with materials, and interacting with peers and instructors more efficient and effective.

The development of Blackboard Ultra began in 2016, and by 2023, it was deemed capable of fully replacing the existing "Original" version. This decision, made in consultation with Academic Administration, has led to a carefully planned conversion timeline that CSU is currently implementing.

Why is CSU moving to Blackboard Ultra now? The university announced its plan to transition to Blackboard Ultra in 2023, establishing a three-year timeline for this comprehensive shift. Since then, CSU has been actively engaged with stakeholders at all levels, providing extensive training and support to facilitate the conversion process. This proactive approach is further underscored by Blackboard's own announcement regarding the impending end-of-life for the Original version.

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The Transition Timeline and End-of-Life for Blackboard Original

The transition to Blackboard Ultra is a multi-year process, with a clear roadmap for phasing out the Original version and fully adopting the new platform. Understanding these timelines is crucial for both faculty and students to ensure a smooth transition and continued access to course materials.

What happens to Blackboard Original courses after Fall 2025? Existing Blackboard Original courses will remain accessible and modifiable until January 2027. Following this date, all Blackboard Original courses will become read-only. While instructors will still be able to copy content into an Ultra course and access student submissions from past Original courses, the content within the Original shells themselves will no longer be editable. A further milestone will be reached in January 2028, when all remaining Blackboard Original courses will be automatically converted to Blackboard Ultra courses.

Will we be able to request a restore of a Blackboard Original course once Blackboard Original is end of life in 2027? Yes, CSU has made provisions for this. For the foreseeable future, the university will be able to restore previously taught Original courses within its environment. Should the need arise where AWS, Blackboard's hosting partner, no longer supports Blackboard Original courses directly, Blackboard has developed a "black box" environment. This environment will allow for the restoration of content on their servers, ensuring that valuable historical course data remains accessible. Detailed information regarding this restoration process will be provided as it becomes more clearly defined.

When is the last semester we can still teach in Blackboard Original? The last semester for teaching in Blackboard Original will be Fall 2025. Beginning with the Spring 2026 semester, all newly created courses will be in Blackboard Ultra.

Is there an End of Life for Blackboard Original? Yes, there is a definitive End of Life for Blackboard Original, scheduled for 2027.

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Why is Blackboard Original being marked end of life? The codebase for Blackboard Original dates back to the late 1990s. This legacy architecture presents increasing security vulnerabilities that are becoming more difficult and costly to mitigate. AWS, Blackboard's hosting partner, has indicated that while code remediation is necessary, it is not feasible to undertake such extensive modifications to the Original platform. Consequently, the decision has been made to retire the Original version in favor of the more modern and secure Ultra platform.

The Blackboard Ultra Timeline and Opt-In Opportunities

The timeline for moving to Blackboard Learn Ultra courses is a phased, multi-year process, with the overarching goal of migrating all fully online programs to Learn Ultra by Spring 2026. Instructors who teach online courses that are not part of fully online programs have the flexibility to opt-in at any time to begin using Blackboard Ultra for their courses.

Several online programs are already actively teaching or are scheduled to move to Blackboard Learn Ultra in the coming semesters:

Online JD â Currently teaching and learning in Learn Ultra.
Accelerated Bachelor of Nursing â Fall 2024.
Master of Science in Nursing â Fall 2024.
Master of Public Health â Summer 2024.
Master of Labor Relations and Human Resources â Fall 2024.
Master of Educational Administration â TBD/Fall 2024.
Inspired Leaders â TBD/Fall 2024.

As CSU continues its path toward full Blackboard Learn Ultra adoption, interested faculty are encouraged to explore and utilize the platform. The university offers dedicated orientation experiences to help both students and faculty familiarize themselves with the new environment.

Orientation and Training for Blackboard Ultra

To ensure a smooth and effective transition for all users, CSU provides comprehensive orientation and training resources for Blackboard Ultra. These resources are designed to equip individuals with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate and utilize the platform's features.

Blackboard Ultra Orientation for Learners: This is a self-paced, self-enroll course specifically designed for students who wish to become familiar with the basics of using tools and features within Blackboard Ultra. Learners can select the components most relevant to their needs and complete the course at their own pace. Enrollment is open at any time.

We Are CSU Online Orientation: This facilitated course offers students a deeper understanding of what learning online at CSU entails. It provides guidance on how to be a successful online learner and offers an overview of using essential tools within Blackboard Ultra. This course is estimated to take a couple of hours to complete and is facilitated for the first four weeks of the semester, after which it remains open as a valuable resource.

Accessing and Utilizing the Blackboard Mobile App

In today's mobile-first world, seamless access to educational resources is paramount. Blackboard offers a dedicated mobile app that empowers students to stay informed, up-to-date, and connected with their courses from virtually anywhere.

The Blackboard app enables users to:

View course content and materials.
Connect with fellow students and instructors through discussion forums.
Interact with class activities and content.
Receive important announcements.

For instructors, the Blackboard Instructor app provides a powerful suite of tools to manage their courses on the go. With Blackboard Instructor, educators can:

Preview course items, assignments, and tests.
Participate actively in discussions.
Send important announcements to their students.
Interact with their class using Class Collaborate.

Both the Blackboard app and Blackboard Instructor are available for free download on iOS and Android mobile devices, ensuring that the digital learning environment is accessible and manageable across a wide range of personal devices.

A key feature integrated within the Blackboard app is Class Collaborate. This synchronous web conferencing solution facilitates high-quality virtual classes and meetings. Instructors can share files and video content while engaging directly with their students in real-time. A significant advantage of Class Collaborate is that no additional software installation is required for users to join a session, making participation seamless and immediate.

Technical Requirements and Browser Support

To ensure optimal performance and a seamless experience within the Blackboard environment, it is essential to meet the recommended technical requirements. Blackboard works with most recent operating systems and internet browsers. However, browser versions are subject to frequent changes, making it crucial to stay informed about the latest compatibility information.

Blackboard Browser Support: CSU provides a link to the official Blackboard Browser Support page, which outlines the recommended and supported browsers. It is highly advisable for users to consult this link regularly to ensure their browser is up-to-date and configured correctly.

In addition to browser compatibility, specific browser settings are necessary for Blackboard to function correctly. Users are encouraged to utilize the Browser Settings Guide for use with Blackboard Learn. This guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to configure their browser to work effectively with Blackboard. Key settings include:

Allowing cookies: Cookies are essential for maintaining user sessions and personalization.
Enabling JavaScript: JavaScript is a critical component for the dynamic functionality of Blackboard's interface and features.
Enabling the Java plug-in: While less common now, some older Blackboard features might still rely on the Java plug-in.
Allowing pop-up windows: Certain Blackboard features, such as test windows or links to external resources, may open in new pop-up windows.

By adhering to these technical requirements and browser settings, users can significantly minimize the likelihood of encountering technical issues and ensure a smooth and productive online learning experience.

Getting Started with Your Course on Blackboard: Guidance for Instructors

For instructors new to online teaching or new to using Blackboard, there are two primary learning tasks: first, understanding how to best present course material in an online format, and second, mastering the navigation and design capabilities of the LMS. The Center for eLearning at CSU offers extensive support to help faculty achieve their instructional goals, whether they are planning to teach a fully online course, a hybrid course, or simply use a Blackboard course shell to enhance a face-to-face course.

Here are some key suggestions and tips to get started:

Have a Plan for Your Course:
- Develop a detailed syllabus with clear course objectives: Define what students should learn and be able to do by the end of the course.
- Chunk your course into units or modules: Organize content logically, often by week or by topic. All materials students need for each module should be readily available within that module on Blackboard.
- Create learning objectives for each module: Ensure that all course materials and assessments align directly with these module-specific objectives.
- Write clear instructions for students: Set expectations from the very beginning of the course regarding participation, assignments, and communication.
Use One of the Course Templates: The Center for eLearning has developed CSU Course Template shells available to all instructors. These templates are designed to ensure that a course includes all necessary information for students and to provide a consistent, high-quality experience across courses. They are often built with Quality Matters (QM) Standards in mind, promoting best practices in online course design.
Use an Existing Course Shell (if applicable): If the course has been taught previously using Blackboard, it may be possible to gain access to a previous instructor's content with their permission or the permission of the Department Chair. This content can then be copied directly into your new course shell, saving considerable time and effort.
Review Blackboard Help Resources:
- Blackboard Learn environment: Familiarize yourself with the general Blackboard Learn environment by exploring the help sections. These often contain information on course components, working with text, and online teaching strategies.
- In-course Help tools: Blackboard Learn provides built-in help tools, video tutorials, and more directly within your Blackboard course shell. Look under the Left Navigation > Control Panel > Help. It's important to note that using the Help link in the upper portion of the left navigation pane typically directs you to student help resources, which may not be as useful for instructors. Always seek out the instructor-specific help guides.
- Instructor Help Pages: Blackboard Learn has dedicated Instructor Help pages that offer straightforward, easy-to-follow guides for all aspects of the LMS.
Participate in Faculty Development Workshops: CSU offers a variety of faculty development opportunities, such as the Faculty Online Teaching and Design (FOTD) course, Learn Teaching Essentials in Ultra (LTEU), or Best Practices in Online Teaching. Visiting the Faculty Training page will provide more information on these valuable workshops.
Schedule a One-on-One Session: For personalized assistance, faculty can make an appointment for a one-on-one session with an instructional designer or eLearning specialist. These experts can introduce you to Blackboard Learn, demonstrate course templates, and help design your course for optimal usability and student engagement.

Other Tools for Instructors and Technical Support

The Center for eLearning provides a wide array of tools to support instructors in creating engaging and effective online learning experiences. These tools can be integrated into Blackboard Learn courses and include resources for:

Lecture capture: Tools to record and share lectures digitally.
Synchronous web conferencing: Platforms like Class Collaborate for real-time interaction.
Voice tools: For incorporating audio feedback or content.

A complete list of these integrated tools can be found on the Center for eLearning's Technology Tools page.

Help Resources and Self-Help: CSU ensures that users have multiple avenues for support when encountering technical issues with their online courses.

24/7 Blackboard Support Live Chat: For immediate assistance with technical problems, a live chat service is available around the clock.
Center for eLearning: The Center for eLearning operates Monday through Friday, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, offering support for technical issues related to online courses.

Important Note on Course Content: If you have a question about course content, assignments, grades, or other course-specific activities, it is crucial to direct those questions to your instructor. The technical support teams are equipped to handle platform-related issues, not pedagogical or content-related inquiries.

Self-Help: As mentioned previously, Blackboard Learn provides dedicated Instructor Help pages. If, after consulting these resources, you are still unable to access a particular course site, it is advisable to check with your instructor to confirm if a Blackboard site has been established for the course and if it has been released to students.

Academic Integrity and Student Conduct

Students taking courses using Blackboard are expected to adhere to the CSU Student Code of Conduct. It is important for students to be aware that instructors may employ additional practices and technology tools beyond Blackboard itself to ensure the quality and academic integrity of both fully online courses and courses with online components. This may include plagiarism detection software, proctoring services for online exams, and other measures designed to uphold academic standards.

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